Arlo's Ristorante' (Sandpoint,ID)

Ahhhhh... yes..... a little Italian restaurant on the river!  It's almost like being in Italy!  We actually boated into the place, though I really wouldn't recommend that until they fix up the back entrance and the dock.  It was a bit scarey.... and we weren't really sure how often people boated to this destination, but there was a dock and we were feeling a little adventurous I guess. 

Here is Arlo's, in Sandpoint ID...

The address is 330  N.  1st Ave,  Sandpoint, ID
(208) 255-4186

We were there during the summer months... as you can see.


We loved our company of friends that day and the river adventure too.  We sat outside and watched the world go by.  (This is not us in the p[photo above, just some patrons enjoying music on the patio.)

The outdoor music on the patio was great... a one man band!  Who would have known?  He was dynamic and talented for sure!  We didn't catch his name, but were told he played their often.  It seemed he was a street player more so than an entertainer hired by the club, but we were told he played there often.

Not the best service ever.  The timing of our bread and such was off and we had to flag the servers several times.....  but we were not there for service, just to be with friends and enjoy the mucis as we sat along the river.  

Arlo's is a place for Italian....  

 and seafood filled dishes.

 I am not a big fan of eating pasta, but I like it occasionally and the food was YUM!!!


 

Bonsai Asian Bistro (Coeur d'Alene ID)

 The Bonsai Asian Bistro is located in Coeur d'Alene, ID.  I have blogged them before, but when out with friends enjoying a beautiful day by the lake, it seemed like a good thing to revisit them when we got hungry for lunch.  This time, instead of going to the Bonsai at nighttime, it was midday!

This place is located at 115 S. 2nd St, near the waterfront downtown area.    It's easy to walk to from the beach and boardwalk area.   Of course, the real draw to return, for me personally, was to add to my day the experience of the lovely little stream that runs through the lower level of the restaurant.  I love that feature!  Besides that, Asian food just sounded like fun to eat with friends.

Outside seating is a possibility too... when the weasther is like it was on this day, and there is a lovely little brooke that makes its way past your tables when you do, but if you eat inside.... upstairs you have a great view of the water... and downstairs....

                                  you get to
                              dine with turtles
                                   and fish!





 Last time, as well as this time, I really enjoyed the living turtles and the fish that swim in the water and bask on the rocks while you eat.

They had an extensive menu... making it hard to select, so we went with the three dish special, and so did our friends.

 Among our selections were the Carmelized Garlic Noodles, General Tso's Chicken, Tempura Vegetables, Kung Pao Chiclen, and Mongolian Beef and Carmelized Garlic Noodles with Prawns... with rice, both sticky rice and brown rice.

 and just when you thought that dinner was over... you can pick whether or not to have dessert!
We decided on the Mt. Fugi Molten Madness and the Bonsai Cheesecake Brulee.

Mt. Fuji exploding with chocolaty flavor.

Cheesecake Brulee

It was great fun to revisit Bonsai again.
Read the first TASTY TREK visit here.

Paul Bunyan (Coeur d'Alene,Is)

The sign for this place is as big as....well, need I say, Paul Bunyan.  On second thought, it is actually bigger than the legend says he was.  All I know is that this is one big sign!  You cannot miss Paul Bunyan's Pak Out when driving along Northwest Blvd in Coeur d' Alene.

Paul Bunyan, as you folklore buffs may know, was a very large lumberjack who traveled with his Blue Ox named Babe.  There are some photos of lumberjacks around the restaurant inside.  Evidently, the owners in the past have had connection to the logging industry, and those loggers work so hard, they probably needed a great little sandwich shop to eat at. back in the 1950's when this place got it's start.

 It's a small spot, looks and feels like it's been here a while, but I was truly surprised at how busy the place was.  I watched with amazement as car after car drove up to the "Pak Out" window and the little place filled up inside too.

 It's your typical burgers and fries kinda place....

We had burgers.  Geo had the Paul Bunyan Burger... on the right.... and I had the "Deluxe."
We also had onion rings and a huckleberry shake.



The burgers were.... burgers, but the shake was amazings as were the onion rings.

In typical local NW fashion, they had all the necessary dipping sauces  to offer too.




















So this is Paul Bunyan's. Coeur d'Alene.  However, I saw there is another Paul Bunyan burget place on my way to Sandpoint.  That Paul. He gets around.

Rice and Spice (Seattle)

This one is not local to Spokane.  Sorry.   Rice and Spice can be found in both the Seattle and Bellevue areas.  We went to the one in Seattle.  The address is 101 John St and it was good Thai food!    We found this place while walking around one day.

But even more than yummy... it was a work of art!  This deep fried basil was an original for me.

It was also definitely rice and spice!  The coconut milk soup was great.